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"Veneratio vestri loricatus, ut is dat vos vita; vacuus is, vos intereo; per is, vos vadum victum." - Blessing of the Aegis, given by Techmarines of the Angels Adamantine before battle F ollowing the tragic slaughter at Mackan during Abaddon's 7th Black Crusade, A.K.A. the Ghost War, the Blood Angels were in dire need of replacements, and there was concern that the Blood Angels might not be able to recruit enough replacements before the next large-scale conflict began. Thus, the High Lords of Terra decreed that the Blood Angels gene-seed be used during the 22nd Founding to create new Chapters (the Emperor's Angels being another Chapter created from this gene-seed at this Founding). There was initial concern over this decision, as the Adeptus Mechanicus' previous attempt to use the gene-seed occurred during the previous Founding, known as the Cursed Founding, resulting in the Lamenters. While the Lamenters themselves experienced no physical mutation, psychosis, or thoughts of heresy, and in fact were seemingly blessed by the apparent lack of the Flaw which had cursed their Parent Chapter as well as their fellow Successor Chapters, they did experience horrendously bad luck, the likes of which few have ever seen; this was especially true when it became evident that even they weren't immune to the effects of the Red Thirst and the Black Rage. Because of the fact that the effects of the Flaw were so delayed in the Lamenters, and that there were no apparent physical mutations, there was hope that the same would occur within the new Chapter, and that whatever bio-engineering had been done to the Blood Angels gene-seed might eventually lead to a cure. Unfortunately, this hope was soon eradicated when it was eventually found that, not only was the new Chapter still prone to the effects of the Flaw, but for some unknown reason, some Veterans of the Chapter seemed to be even more prone to the effects, succumbing to the Red Thirst and the Black Rage far quicker than their Brothers once the onset begins. It is believed, at least within the Chapter, that this is because their honoured status brings them closer to Sanguinius, and thus makes the visions brought on by the Rage much more powerful and difficult to cope with. Because of this, Veterans are kept in special restraints when being prepared for the Death Company. T he Homeworld of the Angels Adamantine is Archurus, a mining/industrial world found in the Ultima Segmentum. Orbiting Archurus are four moons: Tiberius, Picarus, Siskem, and Janeus. Relatively barren in terms of vegetation, Archurus makes up for this with mountains as far as the eye can see in every direction. Its moons, while sharing the Adamantium-rich mountain formations (in lesser profile) as their primary, each have a vastly different climate and ecosystem, including a wide variety of animal species, most native to their respective habitats: Tiberius consists of thick jungles, Picarus is a vast desert, Siskem is covered with snow and ice, and Janeus is almost entirely made up of water. It is unknown how four satellites can vary so greatly in climate from one another and their primary, though it has been rumored that some sort of ancient terraforming process was launched on Archurus millennia ago, with each moon being a separate testing ground. Collectively, the four satellites are often referred to as "The 4 Moons". Archurus and The 4 Moons Found within the mountains across Archurus and its moons are extremely dense pockets of Adamantium, the main export of the Angels Adamantine's homeworld, and the namesake of the Chapter. While the varying climates and hazardous fauna and flora on the moons of Archurus make mining more difficult than on the planet itself, they also provide efficient testing grounds for various combat tactics for the Chapter, as well as unique and challenging hunting grounds. *NOTICE: Due to integration of Primaris forces and subsequent Company restructuring, Organisation section is under revision.* M uch like their Parent Chapter, the Angels Adamantine are a Codex-Adherent Chapter. However, there are a few slight differences. Unlike most Space Marine Veteran Companies, the 1st Company is made up mostly of Veterans in Terminator Armour (similar to the Deathwing of the Dark Angels chapter), with Venerable Dreadnoughts and Furioso Dreadnoughts in support. You will rarely find a Veteran Marine of the 1st Company clad in anything but Terminator or, Emperor forbid, Dreadnought armour, unless they have been killed, or have been assigned to the Death Company (a fate which is equal to death). The 2nd through 5th Companies, or Battle Companies, are organised much in line with the Codex Astartes, with exception being that all 5 Companies deploy in a 5-2-3 squad configuration (5 Tactical, 2 Assault, 3 Devastator), rather than the standard 6-2-2. This is mainly due to their fondness for increased firepower. Due to their equal fondness of increased protection, they also forgo the use of Land Speeders and Bikes, preferring to relinquish use of those vehicles to the 10th Company (Scout Company) and use Rhinos, Razorbacks and Land Raiders instead. The 6th through 9th Companies, or Reserve Companies, are also quite similar to their standard counterparts, with the exception of the 7th Company retaining 10 Devastator Squads rather than Tactical Squads. Another slight difference from other Codex-adherent chapters is that the 7th and 8th Reserve Companies are made up entirely of Centurions, Devastator and Assault, respectively. This is again in keeping with their love for protection and firepower, as is the practice of replacing Land Speeders and Bikes with Rhinos, Razorbacks, and Land Raiders just like the Battle Companies, in keeping with their love for armour and protection. The 10th Company, or Scout Company, is essentially the same, though they make extensive (and exclusive) use of Bikes and Land Speeders. The Death Company, aside from occasionally unleashing Terminator Squads on unfortunate foes, is essentially the same as in the Parent and fellow Successor Chapters. Though rare in occurrence, whenever a Terminator Death Squad is deployed, the Chaplain in charge of the unit will almost always don Terminator Armour themselves, mainly because their primary focus is to steer the Terminators in the general direction of the enemy at the outset of the deployment, which proves rather difficult to do (at least safely) in anything lighter. The Angels Adamantine employ a larger contingent of vehicles than most other chapters (due to their penchant for armour and firepower), especially siege vehicles such as Vindicators, Whirlwinds, and Ironclad Dreadnoughts. Included, of course, are the normal vehicles found amongst most chapters, such as the Predator tanks, Dreadnoughts, Land Speeders, Bikes, Land Raider variants, Thunderhawks and Stormravens, as well as chapter-exclusive variants such as the Furioso Dreadnought and Baal Predator. There are even a few Furioso Librarians within their ranks. Due to the rather sizable number of vehicles deployed by the Chapter, Techmarines are rather prevalent throughout. Though not their true official title (as is the case with the Iron Fathers of the Iron Hands Chapter), many within the Chapter refer to them as "Sanguinary Tech-Priests", or more commonly, simply "Tech-Priests"; however, true Tech-Priests are connected with (and adepts of) the Adeptus Mechanicus, whereas Techmarines, though trained by the Adeptus Mechanicus and a part of the Cult Mechanicus, are first and foremost Space Marines (a fact they prove repeatedly upon the field of battle). It is claimed they receive these titles due not only to the way they manage to effect efficient repairs whilst fighting off tides of the enemy, but also to the way they manage to inspire their Battle-Brothers towards the utter defeat of the enemy. This is often done much to the surprise of Battle-Brothers from other Chapters, many of whom are at least somewhat distrustful of the Cult Mechanicus and its members, including brethren Techmarines. Veteran, Battle, Reserve and Scout Companies: http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu344/tedski82/WH40K/vetmarine.jpg Angels Adamantine 1st Company Veteran (8th Squad) http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu344/tedski82/WH40K/marine.jpg Angels Adamantine Tactical Marine (7th Squad) All companies (excluding the Death Company) within the Angels Adamantine follow the same colour scheme, and each squad within each company follows the same colour scheme as well. The overall colour scheme is essentially an inverted form of the colour scheme of their parent Chapter, the Blood Angels. The majority of the Chapter is clad in black armour to signify the death of their beloved Primarch, with the eyes and helmet grills being coloured bright red, to signify the rage that churns inside them and the blood thirst they shall quench by the enemy, respectively (the exception being the 1st Company; being comprised entirely of Veterans, their eyes and grills are coloured white to signify them being blessed enough to receive powerful visions of their Primarch and speaking ruination upon the enemy in His name, respectively; they also signify squads with gold rather than red, and have various other gold adornments on their armour); also, any skulls or wings are painted a bone white colour. Each squad within each company is designated by having a different section of their armour painted bright red (e.g. the 7th Squad in each company has the lower section of their right leg painted red; the 9th Squad has the lower section of their left arm; etc.). Scouts, since they do not wear full power armour, instead paint the corresponding sections of their carapace armour or nylon fatigues. Scouts tend to wear almost entirely black, with the exception of skulls being painted bone white and their squad designation being in bright red. This is to help them conceal themselves when on a mission. http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu344/tedski82/WH40K/vetterm.jpg Angels Adamantine 1st Company Terminator (8th Squad) http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu344/tedski82/WH40K/scout.jpg Angels Adamantine Scout (6th Squad) http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu344/tedski82/WH40K/vetsergeant.jpg Angels Adamantine Veteran Sergeant (9th Squad) http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu344/tedski82/WH40K/apoth.png Angels Adamantine Sanguinary Novitiate Sergeants also follow this scheme, but are designated by their right shoulder armour (and any skulls) also being painted bright red, while Veteran Sergeants also have a gold trim on the shoulder plate and often other pieces of armour or weapons. Apothecaries (known as Sanguinary Priests or Sanguinary Novitiates) are designated by their helmets, right shoulder plates, Exsanguinators, and parts of their backpacks being painted white; Techmarines adhere to the scheme as well, being designated by the familiar deep red color normal to the full armour of Techmarines being displayed on their helmet and right shoulder plate. Librarians are designated in a similar fashion, having only their right shoulder plate, greaves, helmet (when worn) and psychic hood being painted the traditional blue colour. Chaplains within the Chapter are essentially the same as in most other chapters, except that their skull mask or helm (or Death Mask) is always painted the same gold colour as the armour worn by company Captains. http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu344/tedski82/WH40K/chap.png Angels Adamantine Chaplain http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu344/tedski82/WH40K/librarian.jpg Angels Adamantine Librarian http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu344/tedski82/WH40K/captain.jpg Angels Adamantine Captain Captains within the Angels Adamantine bear a slightly different scheme than that of the rest of the Chapter; while their armor is still mostly black, it is adorned with shining gold in several places, so as to not only stand out amongst the throngs of friends and foes alike amongst the battlefield, but also to show honour to Chapter Master Dante of their parent chapter, the Blood Angels, as well as the Sanguinor, their Primarch Sanguinius, and the Emperor, all of whom are (or at one point were) glad in gleaming golden armour, and also to display their status as honoured veterans and leaders amongst the Chapter. Also, as every Captain is himself a Veteran of the Chapter, the eyes of their helmets are also coloured white for the same reason as the 1st Company, though the grills are painted black to symbolize the Captain speaking death upon the enemy as they are slain. All vehicles and Dreadnoughts have separate sections painted red similar to individual squads, though this is used to designate which company they belong to. Death Company: http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu344/tedski82/WH40K/dcjump.jpg Angels Adamantine Death Company Marine w/ Jump Pack Death Company Marines wear what is essentially an inverted form of the colour scheme used by the rest of the Chapter. The Chapter uses bright red to symbolize the forthcoming bloodbath. They also prefer to blacken the eyes and grills of Death Company helmets to symbolize the darkness that has consumed them, which they then turn loose upon their enemies. They also retain the crosses used to symbolize the wounds of Sanguinius, only they are painted black, and are instead used to symbolize the mental wounds left upon all Sons of Sanguinius by the Flaw, which are unleashed during the Black Rage. Death Company Transports and Dreadnoughts are painted in a similar fashion. In both instances, the colour schemes are intended to not only instill fear in the enemy, but also to underline their ferocity as a Chapter. B esides being gruff and relatively crude (often taken as simply being rude or ill-mannered), the inhabitants of Archurus and The 4 Moons tend to share the creativity and love of beauty that is so trademark of their progenitor; however, rather than working with metal and stone (ironically), they tend to work more with sound and vibration. As the Blood Angels are known as master artisans, the Angels Adamantine are known as maestro musicians. Both this and their brusque manner can be attributed to long hours working in the various mines scattered around the planet and its satellites. Most able-bodied men and women, once old enough (the working age tends to start at 12, but can vary from province to province), are tested on their aptitude to see where they would be most beneficial. The vast majority become miners, but this is certainly not seen as shameful or deserving of derision; just the opposite, in fact. Here, mining deep in the mountains is considered an honorable profession, both due to the risks involved, and the importance of the materials recovered. There are many long lineages of miners, some going back to the earliest days of colonization nearly a millennia ago. There are many that are considered heroes to the miners, a few that are looked upon as an Astartes might look upon their Primarch, or even their Emperor. They are the ones that saved fellow miners from collapsed tunnels, or helped defend the planet or its moons from xenos attack, or even stood up against oppressive governments (when the Angels Adamantine were too preoccupied to handle the issue themselves). While their curtness is often seen as a result of a simple lack of manners, it is actually (for the most part) caused by time constraints and efficiency; more precisely, a lack of time to get things done and the necessity for being as efficient as possible with the time given. Working in the mines is a hazardous job, partly because of the rapid pace at which everything flows. Miners don't have time to offer up a lengthy explanation for what they need done, so they are often straight to the point, and can get a bit agitated when they have to repeat themselves, which can (and often does) result in a loud and abrupt slew of profanity erupting from them towards a seemingly incompetent colleague. Because of this near-constant stress relief, however, they also tend to be very jovial in nature, both in and out of the mines; practical jokes are not only common among the people, but often celebrated. There's even an annual holiday devoted to them. Another result of long hours spent in the dark underground caverns is an appreciation for music of all varieties; not only a fondness for listening, but also for creating. Throughout the mines scattered around Archurus and its moons, and even within a single one, you can find a myriad of musical tastes and skills; from someone whistling a campy tune to another tapping out a complex rhythm with their tools. You'll also find many of them, as well as those who happen to work above ground, applying these attributes to actual musical composition using a myriad of instruments and electronic synthesizers. Brother Liam of the 2nd Company actually composed the official battle anthem for the Chapter, which is often played over loudspeakers mounted on Rhinos and other transports at the start of an assault (sometimes, drop pods wired with myriads of speakers are dropped), combining with the churning of tracked vehicles and dreadnoughts, the roaring of Land Speeders and jump packs, and the shouting of orders and litanies to create a cacophony of noise that can only be described as the sound of inevitable doom. Another long-standing tradition, one that perhaps predates all others, is the hunt. While hunting is an integral part of many of the societies that the various Astartes Chapters draw their Recruits from, relatively few seem to truly enjoy the experience as much as Archurians; still fewer enough to claim trophies and proudly mount them on display. This reverence for the hunt and the penchant for obtaining physical rewards from their prey not only seems to remain with those chosen to be Initiates for he Angels Adamantine and carry over during their transformation into Space Marines, it actually seems to further augment their mental acuity, reflexes and fighting ability beyond that of what the specialized training and implants can do. They often tend to choose and retrieve trophies and affix them in the midst of battle, adorning the armour of both their vehicles and themselves with the remnants of their fallen enemies, whether it be weapons, equipment, sigils, or even parts of the cadaver itself. These serve as both proof of their might and valor, as well as a visible warning to and intimidation of their enemies. These attributes combine with the strength and toughness built working in the mines to create the ideal candidates for ascension to the ranks of Space Marine within the Angels Adamantine. Sturdy enough to withstand even the most brutal assault, the sensibility and pragmatism to resist the alluring entrancement of Chaos daemons and xenos psykers, and the energetic compassion to see and appreciate the innate good in things, especially that of the Emperor and all that is protected in His name. W hile the Angels Adamantine, like every other Adeptus Astartes Chapter (save, of course, for the loathsome Traitors), have a Holy reverence towards the Emperor and pledge their lives to His service, the Chapter holds a similar (if not equal) veneration for their Primarch, Sanguinius. In fact, it is rumoured that the Angels Adamantine are the most zealous of any of their Brother Chapters in their devotion to the Primarch, with the possible exception of their Parent Chapter, the Blood Angels. Of course, many of these rumours seem to originate within the Chapter itself, though this fact does not in any way lessen the ferocity with which the Chapter fights in the name and memory of their fallen Primarch. http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu344/tedski82/WH40K/traitor.jpg Traitor Space Marine of the Black Legion One of the main axioms associated with this solid and unwavering affection is the need to seek out and destroy every Traitorous Space Marine in existence, especially those of the Black Legion (formerly known as the Sons of Horus, and before that the Luna Wolves), as they were not only the one of the first Legions to turn against the Emperor, but they were also the most loyal Legion to Horus (as he was their Primarch), the most despised Traitor of all, and the one who brought their own Primarch to his final end upon the Traitor's own flagship. It is said that, for a brief moment before he died, Horus was redeemed by the Emperor himself and the forces of Chaos cast away from him; however, for the Angels Adamantine (as is also likely amongst many other Astartes, especially those borne of Sanguinius, though not to the degree as is shown by the Chapter) the enticement of their beloved Primarch towards the forces of Chaos, and his subsequent death by the hand of Horus himself after he refused, are crimes that are wholly unforgivable. While the fact that the Emperor managed to save his most celebrated Son from the grip of Chaos just before his death is a testament to the power and divinity of the Emperor, Marines of the Chapter are often upset by the fact that they are not able to seek vengeance upon the one who broke the body of their beloved Primarch, and thus have pledged to seek out and destroy all those who aligned with him and made it possible for him to commit his treacherous acts of heresy, the foremost of which being the murder of Sanguinius. Because of this, any time there is mention or evidence of Chaos Space Marines on the offensive, the Angels Adamantine are one of the first to seek to respond, often turning their focus from the task at hand to seek out and destroy the Traitorous Legions, especially if it is even rumoured that Traitors of the Black Legion are present. Their ultimate goal, besides the eventual destruction of every Traitor Legion in existence, is to seek out and destroy Abaddon the Despoiler, once Second-in-Command to Horus, and the present Warmaster in charge of not only the Black Legion, but of all Traitor Legion forces throughout the Imperium. The Chapter feels that, with Horus ultimately redeemed and his body destroyed long ago, it falls to Abaddon to answer for the sins of his master. There are many differing explanations, even within the Chapter itself, as to what causes this seemingly-singular reverence of their Primarch; some Chaplains claim it is due to the Primarch's favoring of the Chapter's goals to attain vengeance in His name; some Apothecaries claim it to be the cause of undetected mutations in the gene-seed, in effect granting the Chapter a closer sense of oneness with their Primarch than most other Chapters. And indeed, there are Librarians who say that there is a definite strong connection to the "True Emperor" through the Warp, and whatever the true reason, there is no doubt that the Angels Adamantine will continue their crusade to rid the Imperium (and any other areas they can reach) of its most vile and hated enemies, who just happened at one point to be some of its most beloved saviours, until they are completely extinguished from the galaxy. One rumour, however, stands above all the rest; that the Chapter Master, Riconas, is actually the natural-born son of their primarch, Sanguinius. It is claimed that, before the Exalted Emperor came to Baal and Sanguinius subsequently left to join Him on his quest, the Primarch had fallen in love with one of the women in his tribe, and shortly before the Emperor's arrival, had secretly consummated their union and conceived a son. The child was born with an apparent psychic connection to not only his father, but the Emperor as well; thus they both knew at once when the child was born, though they (and the boy's mother) were the only ones who knew of his true lineage. The boy grew much in the same way that Sanguinius Himself did, which surprised all but his mother. Once he was of age, he made his way to Angel's Fall on Baal Secundus for the Time of Challenge. He managed to complete the trials and ascend to the ranks of the Blood Angels, where he quickly rose through the ranks to become a Veteran Sergeant in the 3rd Company (at the time under the command of Brother-Captain Erasmus Tycho). Once Brother Tycho fell to the Black Rage, Sergeant Riconas was considered for his replacement as the commander of the 3rd Company; however, not long after Tycho's induction into the Death Company, Macom, Chapter Master of the Angels Adamantine (and close friend and half-brother of Riconas), fell in battle against one of the Tyranid swarms comprising Hive Fleet Leviathan. Much of the chapter's command structure, and much of the chapter itself as a whole, had been systemically wiped out over the course of a long and brutal campaign against the Tyranids, thus there were no viable candidates to replace Macom as Chapter Master. Upon hearing of his death and the state of the chapter, Riconas requested a special audience with Dante and the Council, who were convening with the Chapter Masters of the various other successors to discuss their options for the chapter. He told them that he had had visions of himself rebuilding and leading the Angels Adamantine in a glorious campaign against the Tyranids in defense of his homeworld. Most of the other Chapter Masters, as well as some within the Council, scoffed and chuckled at this remark, but Dante remained silent and, once the guffawing had ceased, looked to Mephiston, and then to Corbulo. Mephiston confirmed that he had the same vision; Corbulo added he had foreseen that Riconas could somehow be the answer to the ever-present curse of the Flaw. This caused everyone in attendance to look around in wonder, before deliberating and finally concluding that Riconas should take command of the Angels Adamantine and rebuild the chapter. Dante offered any available resources of the Blood Angels to help, as did the other Chapter Masters (though a few did so reluctantly). Mephiston, apparently able to feel Riconas' connection to the Emperor and their late Primarch, realised his true lineage, as did Corbulo, through careful study of Riconas' blood; but they also knew that, at least for now, it must be kept a secret, for not everyone was ready for the truth to be revealed. They also knew that, in their most dire hour, the truth would reveal itself. B ecause of the devastating losses faced at Mackan during the Ghost War, there was genuine concern over whether the Blood Angels would be able to rebuild their numbers soon enough for the inevitable return of Abaddon, and thus during the 22nd Founding, the gene-seed of the Blood Angels was called upon to be used in the creation of a number of new Chapters. While some of these Successors were the subjects of varying experiments, some of which were continued from the previous Founding (the Emperor's Angels being a prime example, as further experimentation and tampering with the gene-seed occurred during their conception), the Angels Adamantine were created using the same modified gene-seed that had produced the Lamenters during the previous Founding. This was perhaps still technically part of a larger experiment, with the Chapters created using this version of the gene-seed a form of control; regardless, there were still scattered concerns about the use of any gene-seed used in the previous Founding, known as the Cursed Founding. These were largely drowned out by the arguments that simple bad luck, such as had occurred with the Lamenters, was in no way a factor of the modification to the gene-seed, and that the fact that the effects of the Flaw were so delayed in the Lamenters was proof that the modifications had had some level of success. Fortunately, there have been no as-yet reported signs that further modification of the gene-seed bears any ill effects for the recipients. W hile the deeds of the Chapter are many and glorious in a variety of ways, certain events stand above most others. As with their Parent Chapter, the Angels Adamantine pride themselves on their ability to record and catalogue the history of the Chapter. 900.M37: 22nd Founding/A New Chapter Begins - After the Blood Angels sustained heavy losses on Mackan at the hands of Abaddon the Despoiler during the 7th Black Crusade, the High Lords of Terra decreed that the Blood Angels gene-seed be used to create new Chapters during the 22nd Founding, the Angels Adamantine being one of them. Captain Manco of the Blood Angels' 5th Company, the Daemonbanes, was chosen along with a select number of Veterans from among their ranks to create the Chapter leadership. Manco was given total control over the formation and organisation of the Chapter, and having served on a number of occasions with Brothers of the Salamanders, Imperial Fists and Iron Hands Chapters, he had noticed and kept note of various tactics that he liked from each Chapter; he ultimately combined these various tactics, including the relentlessness of heavy weapons and siege warfare made famous by the Imperial Fists, the resolute toughness and persistence of the Salamanders, and the overwhelming force and inspiring command of armoured might favored by the Iron Hands.Thus, the revised Codex for the Chapter came to favor heavy armour and overwhelming firepower in stark contrast to the assault and close-quarter tactics favored by their progenitor. Manco had also been on detachment with units from both the White Scars and Raven Guard Chapters, and had noticed their penchant for speed and stealth using their Bikes and Land Speeders, and thought that giving exclusive use of these vehicles and tactics to the Scouts of the 10th Company would provide them with both speed and protection while on the field, as well as valuable skills that would transfer with them and serve them well in compliment to their siege combat skills upon becoming full-fledged Space Marines. Thus, the Angels Adamantine, along with several other new Successor Chapters for the Blood Angels, were created; however, the fates of most of these Chapters are wholly unknown; a few have either been completely destroyed, or disbanded and merged into other Chapters. A few more, such as the Angels Adamantine and the Emperor's Angels, still exist in varying degrees of strength; the rest, however, have simply vanished from existence, assumed obliterated without record or lost to the ravages of the Warp. 769.M39: Olympic Wastes/Faith In All Things - Chaplain Garris is dispatched to the Dead World Olympia at the head of a Resolution Force after the Chapter receives reports of renewed Chaos activity there. Olympia, the former homeworld of the traitorous IV Legion, the Iron Warriors, was turned into a Dead World after the Iron Warriors detonated their own missile stockpiles when it was determined they could no longer hold out against the combined assault of the Ultramarines and Imperial Fists Chapters. Since then, the world has been considered Perdita, or lost, by the Imperium. However, recent reports tell of gathering forces of Chaos, mostly Traitor Space Marines, apparently attempting to locate and retrieve something from the decimated former Fortress-Monastery of the Iron Warriors. Whatever they're trying to uncover, it certainly can't be good for the Imperium. He is to rendezvous with a detachment from the Blood Ravens Chapter led by Captain Aptimus, but his Thunderhawk comes under intense anti-aircraft fire as it nears the landing zone, and is forced to retreat back to the Battle Barge Redactor in orbit. Garris makes contact with Captain Aptimus and, with the help of a squad of Blood Ravens Scouts marking the area, decides to make planetfall via Drop Pod with a Command Squad and 3 Devastator Squads near the LZ to take out the anti-aircraft batteries, so that his Thunderhawks can land the rest of his forces. The pods plummet towards the planet, landing with a deafening impact amidst a guard detachment of Iron Warriors and Alpha Legion Chaos Space Marines, crushing a few and knocking most of them to the ground. A few Havocs managed to maintain their balance, and attempted to ambush the passengers of one of the Drop Pods, but were promptly sniped down by the Blood Raven Scouts that had been infiltrated nearby. As the Devastator Squads emerged from their Drop Pods, they deployed and opened fire on the enemy batteries with Lascannons and Multi-Meltas, reducing them to piles of slag in moments, while the Command Squad set about eliminating any remaining guards, with the help of the Blood Raven Scouts. Just as it seemed they had finally secured the landing zone, a vile, horrid screeching cracked across their vox systems, causing several of them to instinctively yank their helmets off; but the sound permeated the air, as though there was nowhere you could go to escape it. Just then, several squads of Slaaneshi Noise Marines of the Emperor's Children, formerly the III Legion, appeared on a ridge overlooking the landing zone. Suddenly, Chaplain Garris realized what the Chaos forces were there for: an ancient artifact of Slaanesh that was discovered amongst the rubble after the Ultramarines and Imperial Fists routed the Iron Warriors and forced them to destroy their own stronghold; but before the artifact could be retrieved, it let out a devastating sonic blast that killed the Astartes closest to it instantly as their heads liquefied inside of their helmets, and severely stunned several more, before vanishing in a flash of brilliant light. Despite searching for several weeks, the artifact could not be found, and was presumed lost to the Warp. As he came to this realization, Garris noticed the ridgeline filling with the silhouettes of Chaos Marines from all 3 traitorous legions. Then, with a thunderous roar backed by the cacophonous blaring of the Noise Marines' weapons, the traitors started charging down the hill from several directions. Garris called to his Command Squad and the Devastators to form a defensive line between the LZ and the oncoming horde, and ordered the Blood Ravens Scouts to find an elevated position and call back to their Command for reinforcements. Once they were in place, Garris ordered the Devastators to open fire once the enemy was within range; as the enemy neared, the first to open fire were the Plasma Cannons, launching searing-hot blobs of plasma into their ranks like artillery. Those hit directly by the blasts were instantly vaporized, while those in the blast area fared little better, many of them melting into heaps of flesh and ceramite slag; those that were fortunate enough to survive the initial blast were thrown hundreds of yards in every direction, many of them losing limbs or dying upon impact. Unfortunately, this did little to slow the onslaught, and the Lascannons opened up next, each laser blast burning clean through several Chaos Marines; but each Brother could only get a couple of shots off before the enemy was close enough for the Heavy Bolters to open up, churning fist-sized bolts into the closing traitors and blowing them apart. As they got ever-nearer, Garris ordered his Command Squad to open fire, leading off with his Relic Combi-Plasma Carnifice. The Blood Ravens Scouts started picking off Sorcerers and Champions as they appeared, and just when it seemed as though they would be overrun, a barrage of cannon and bolter fire strafed the enemy lines, bringing the advance to a grinding halt. As Garris looked up, he saw 2 Thunderhawks flying in a crossing pattern above him, one his, the other belonging to the Blood Ravens. It would seem the Scouts made contact, and not a moment too soon. As they circled around for another run, Garris could see the enemy starting to muster and re-form their ranks; he called to Brother Hytak, the Company Champion for the 3rd Company, to lead them into the fray once the Thunderhawks had made their second pass. Brother Zykol, a Veteran of the First Company, and Sanguinary Novitiate Ferrun would take the flanks, and Brother Gyjun, Ancient for the 3rd Company, would bring up the rear, holding the Company Banner aloft. The Devastator Squads would stay back and provide support while also holding the LZ. Once the Thunderhawks made their pass, Garris bellowed the charge order, and they charged towards the enemy, Hytak leading the way with his Thunder Hammer Remembrancer and Storm Shield Bastion of Will. As they approached the enemy lines, roaring balls of plasma flew over their heads and landed in the midst of the traitor forces, decimating many of them. With the rest of the squad providing supporting fire, Brother Hytak plowed into the enemy ranks, his hammer and shield annihilating enemies in swathes. Suddenly, Garris noticed a blur of motion to his right, and barely a moment later dodged to his left just in time for the blur to be stopped motionless by Bastion of Will. The blur suddenly became the shape of a vile blade writhing with intense Warp energies, being held by a Champion of Slaanesh. As Garris looked at Hytak, the Champion gave him a reassuring nod, before knocking the cursed blade away and turning to bring Remembrancer to bear in one swift motion. He left Hytak to battle and continued into the fray with the rest of his squad; as they brought down one traitor after another, it seemed that the battle was turning in the favor. That is, until the traitors started to part, revealing squads of Noise Marines, led by a Noise Champion. The Champion was entombed in what appeared to be Terminator Armour, though he had obviously long been fused with the armour in a twisted and grotesque display, several parts of "him" bizzarely mutated into what appeared to be giant amplifiers. As the squad turned their focus on the Champion, he let loose a barrage of deep sonic pulses that felt as though they would shatter everything, down to the very bones inside the Space Marines themselves. The other Noise Marines joined in, their various weapons screeching and thumping at various frequencies. Thankfully, with their love of all things musical and their ever-persistent motivation to push the boundaries of musical and tonal creation, the Artificers of the Angels Adamantine had managed, through necessity, to find a way to dampen intense sonic vibrations at all known frequencies and incorporate it into their armour; this allowed the squad to hold fast where many other Astartes would have fallen. As the Noise Marines closed in, Garris slowly raised his Crozius, and upon uttering the Sacred Litany of Rebuking, released a powerful blast of energy from it, knocking back the Noise Marines and killing several of them. No longer under the suppression of their sonic weapons, Brother Zykol jumped up and started eradicating the rest of them, and the rest of the squad followed suit. No sooner were they back on their feet than Raptors descended from the skies, slamming right into the middle of them, scattering them in all directions. As Zykol stood and started to fire on them, one of them leapt to him and cut him down with one swift motion of their chainsword, before being obliterated by a plasma blast from Carnifice. As the rest of the squad regained their footing and took down the remaining Raptors, Ferrun ran to Zykol to tend to him or, at the very least, recover his gene-seed. Miraculously, Zykol was still alive, despite taking a direct blow to his chest; but his body, though physically intact, was quickly being ravaged by a toxin that had been applied to the Raptor's chainsword. Ferrun had to act quickly to keep the poison from reaching his hearts and his brain, but he managed to save him, if only barely. With the Noise Marines and the Raptors mostly defeated and Brother Hytak returning to the squad, having dealt with the Champion of Slaanesh, the remaining Chaos forces started to retreat, including the Noise Champion, who seemed puzzled as to how the Loyalist Marines could withstand his barrage. Knowing why it was that the traitor forces were there, Garris knew he couldn't let the servant of Slaanesh escape; after ordering Brother Gyjun to assist Novitiate Ferrun in getting Zykol back to the LZ, he and Hytak left in pursuit of the Chaos Champion. Since the traitor was clad in Terminator Armour, it wasn't long before they caught up to him; Hytak charged and swung Remembrancer as hard as he could at the traitor's legs, bringing him to a halt. The traitorous Terminator swung his mutated arm at Hytak, who promptly blocked it with his shield, only to be immediately blasted point-blank by the Champions sonic weaponry, sending Hytak reeling backwards. Garris opened up on the back of the Slaaneshi Champion with both barrels of Carnifice, but both bolter shell and plasma blast bounced off the armour as though they were pebbles. The Champion turned and assaulted Garris with a sonic blast, knocking the weapon from his hand. At that point, Garris started chanting a sacred litany and, focusing every ounce of energy and power he had, leapt at the traitor and swung his Crozius full-force at the Champion's head, the impact so tremendous that it broke the Crozius in half at the handle and sent a shockwave out in every direction, knocking Garris to the ground. The impact also mangled the Champions sonic weaponry to the point that the daemonic powers within starting building quickly and violently, causing the Champion to vibrate at rapidly-shifting frequencies until he exploded in a violent outburst of noise and gore and Warp energies. As he gathered himself, Garris looked over to Hytak, who was also getting to his feet, shaking his head. They both heard the roar of engines overhead, and looked skyward to see several Thunderhawk Gunships heading for the landing zone. The rest of the Resolution Force was finally making landfall. Garris and Hytak looked at each other and gave one another a nod, and then returned to the LZ as the last of the reinforcements were arriving, and they were loading Brother Zykol onto the Thunderhawk to return to the Redactor ; Brother Ferrun said that Zykol would make it, though would likely need to be interred within the sarcophagus of a Venerable Dreadnought, as his body was too badly damaged by the foul toxins laced onto the traitor's chainblade. Garris then found Brother Hyperlex, Master of the Machines and head Techmarine for the Chapter, and asked him to repair his Crozius. Hyperlex told him that it could be replaced, but Garris refused; this one had a special meaning to him, especially after this day, so Hyperlax welded the Crozius back together the best he could. Once the last of his forces had offloaded, Garris thanked the Blood Ravens Scouts for their assistance, and told to return to their detachment; he then contacted Captain Aptimus and made plans to rendezvous at a strategic location near the destroyed Fortress-Monestary, and informed him of the traitors' plans. Once together, he and Aptimus planned out the utter annihilation of the remaining Chaos forces, as well as the Slaaneshi artifact. He knew that they must succeed, before the foul traitors could complete their task....and summon a Keeper of Secrets. He had witnessed such a creature once before, and still could not believe the things it drove those around him to do. He could not allow such a beast to be conjured, no matter the cost. 420.M40: Space Hulk Grimlok/Brotherhood Redefined - Veteran Sergeant Tuvo of the 1st Company leads a squad of Assault Terminators to assist a detachment of the Deathwing, led by Sergeant Benko of the Corvus Malleus, a Dark Angels Successor Chapter, in investigating a Space Hulk that suddenly appeared from a warp storm in the Prism system. Little is known of the system, as all information regarding it seems to have been expunged from Imperial records, save for 2 short entries that name a single planet, Prism (thus the working name of the system), as well as an apparent Successor Chapter of the Ultramarines called the Rainbow Warriors who, at least at one time, claimed the planet as their Homeworld. While exploring the massive hulk, the Angels Adamantine separate from the Deathwing to cover more ground, planning to rendezvous on the other side of the ship; shortly thereafter, they are set upon by Genestealers and Genestealer Cultists. The squad manages to fend them off long enough to start making their way to the rendezvous point, but is ambushed along the way by even more Genestealers, this time led by a Broodlord; they again fend off the horde, their Storm Shields taking the brunt of the attacks while their Thunder Hammers obliterated anything that dared get too close; but Sergeant Tuvo is wounded in the process. They manage to reach the rendezvous, only to be confronted by yet another Genestealer horde, this time led by a Lictor and a Tyranid Warrior. As they attempt to make a stand, Sergeant Tuvo is mortally wounded in one-on-one combat with the Tyranid Warrior, but manages to take it down with one final swipe of his Lightning Claw. Just as it seemed the Tyranid horde would overwhelm them, Sergeant Benko and the Deathwing emerged into the chamber, storm bolters and assault cannon wiping away huge swaths of Genestealers and Genestealer Hybrids; this gave the beleaguered Angels some reprieve, until suddenly the Lictor appeared out of nowhere, pouncing on Benko and knocking him across the chamber, away from his Brothers. The Lictor started ripping his armour apart piece-by-piece, while he struggled in vain to land a meaningful blow upon the beast's hide. The Deathwing fought to get to him, but he was on the other side of the chamber, and the xenos were too many. The Angels Adamantine were themselves bogged down, though much closer to Benko, and suddenly Brother Worta saw an opening; he charged the Lictor with his Storm Shield held firmly in front of him, slamming into the beast and knocking it into the wall of the chamber. As it regained its footing, the beast lunged at Worta, who blocked the assault with his shield and guided the xenos over his head, back in the direction of his embattled Brothers; but as it flew over his head, the beast ripped the shield from his grasp and flung it down the corridor, far out of reach beyond the pulsating throngs of xenos warriors. As it landed, it reached out and ripped one of his pauldrons from its mounts and tossed it into the melee; as it grasped to find another hold on his armour, Worta let loose an ear-piercing howl that stunned the creature, if only briefly; but it was enough for him to let loose the fury of the Red Thirst. He raised his Thunder Hammer and slammed it into the beast's side, sending it reeling across the chamber. Then, with another phantom howl, he charged the beast and, with every ounce of strength he could muster, brought his Thunder Hammer down upon its head, vaporizing it instantly in a crackling blue haze and covering himself and everything nearby in a shower of gore and mucus. With all of the Synapse Creatures nearby vanquished, the Genestealers started to turn on one another. Worta noticed this, and thought it was strange for a Genestealer brood, as they normally seem to function fine devoid of Synapse Creatures, but the thought was fleeting, as he immediately turned his focus towards his Brothers, who had managed to battle their way to the still-living Benko with the remaining Deathwing Terminators. As they encircled the fallen Sergeant, they prepared to fight to the last, when suddenly a hatch on the other side of the chamber exploded open, and a tide of Greenskins from the Deathskulls Clan flooded into the chamber, apparently unaware of the presence of both the Astartes and the Tyranids. Though they noticed the Terminators first upon entering the chamber, the Orks immediately realized the Tyranids were the immediate threat and opened fire with their Shootas and Burnas; this only worked against the Orks, however, as the Genestealer horde suddenly seemed to regain its composure and turned upon the Orks en masse. As the two xenos forces clashed, Ork 'Ard Boyz and Meganobz started entering the chamber through the destroyed hatch and joined in the fray. As they slaughtered one another, Worta saw a path open up to another hatch that, upon scanning with the Auspex built into his armour, appeared to lead back to the entry point, and was relatively clear of xenos. As they appeared to be focused on one another, he rallied the remaining Astartes and had them collect their fallen Sergeants before pushing to the hatch; after battling past the few Genestealers that were hiding in the passageway, they managed to return to the entry point and board their respective ships, leaving the xenos behind to eradicate one another. It is soon after both squads return that the Angels Adamantine fleet is invited to rendezvous with the Corvus Malleus fleet; it is aboard the Battle Barge Repentance that the entire squad, including the fallen Sergeant Tuvo, is honoured for their sacrifice, and for saving their venerated Sergeant Benko, who would go on to be interred within the sarcophagus of a mighty Venerable Dreadnought. It is noticed that, though the Terminator squad is in full armour, Brother Worta's armour is missing a pauldron, as well as a Storm Shield. In recognition of saving the life of their Sergeant, Worta is given the Storm Shield and pauldron from the armour of Sergeant Benko to replace his missing pieces. This is an extremely rare honour, indeed, as the Deathwing are known to be extremely protective of their sacred artifacts, especially the armour of the Deathwing, and giving it away is simply unheard of. This event would prove to be the beginning of a burgeoning camaraderie that would be strengthened through many more cooperative actions involving both Chapters. 998.M41: Third War for Armageddon/New Blood - While the Blood Angels send a detachment led by Erasmus Tycho to Armageddon to defend it against Ghazghkull Thraka, the Angels Adamantine were busy pressing back the emerging tendrils of the Hive Fleet Leviathan; during a ferocious battle on the Tomb World Bellicas, Chapter Master Macom narrowly defeated a Hive Tyrant in single combat, but was mortally wounded in the process, perishing soon after. With the vast majority of the Chapter's command structure obliterated during the long, violent campaign against the Tyranids, there were no viable replacements for Macom to be found within the Chapter itself; Veteran Sergeant Riconas of the Blood Angels' 3rd Company, upon hearing of the death of his friend and fraternal brother, requested a special audience with Dante and the Council, as well as the other Successor Chapter Masters. While he was originally determined to be the natural successor to Captain Tycho after his fall to the Black Rage during the battle for Armageddon, it was determined, after much deliberation, that Sergeant Antargo should be promoted to Captain of the 3rd Company, and Riconas should instead be instated as the new Chapter Master of the Angels Adamantine, and that any and all available resources from their brother Chapters would be made available to help rebuild. 999.M41: Hive Fleet Leviathan/A Primarch Returns - Unfortunately, the Angels Adamantine and their newly-appointed Chapter Master wouldn't have much time for rebuilding, as the Hive Fleet Leviathan was becoming an ever-more present threat; as news reaches Baal that the worlds of the Cryptan Shield have been overrun, Commander Dante leads a force comprised of the 1st and 2nd Companies of the Blood Angels, as well as Brother Corbulo, Captain Karlaen of the 1st Company, Mephiston, and the bulk of the Flesh Tearers Successor Chapter, on a rescue mission to the Cryptus System. While they are successful in aiding the remaining defenders, they must destroy one of the worlds in the system to do so, and soon realise they have only slowed the coming onslaught, not stopped it. While returning to Baal to prepare the homeworld's defenses, Dante puts out a call to all Successor Chapters to come to the aid of their Parent Chapter in their time of need; still rebuilding from the terrible losses obtained from earlier skirmishes with the xenos threat, Riconas leads what little forces he can to aid in the defense of his home system. Just as all hope was thought lost, as the Sons of Sanguinius were beset on all sides not only by Tyranid xenos, but also daemonic horrors, a large Imperial fleet appeared in orbit above Baal Prime; it was led by none other than Roboute Guilliman, revered Primarch of the Ultramarines Chapter and their Successors. He brought with him reinforcements the likes of which the embattled Space Marines had never seen; they were known as Primaris Marines. Created both before and after the resurrection of Guilliman by the Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl under the orders of the Primarch, this new generation of Space Marine was developed to be bigger, faster and stronger than their predecessors, created using the genetic material of the Primarchs themselves. This proved to be exactly what was needed not only for the Angels Adamantine at a time when rebuilding was crucial, but for their brother Chapters as well, both as a boost in numbers and morale. *Unfortunately, this is all I have time for at the moment; I will endeavor to return and complete it soon.*

The thing I like about Space Marines is the character creation you can go through. It's where the real customisation lies in our otherwise uniform army. Our character choices, particularly our Warlord choices, affect our army playstyle and build in particular. What sorts of flavour do you like to use with your characters? Who's your Warlord and what's his character? How do you use him? Show us a picture! I'm out the country at the moment so can't take a photo but I will do soon as I get home! **** My army is themed on a Victrix Guard style of Ultramarines, hence why they use a Horus Heresy era style that would be Guilliman approved. MK4 abound, with a few exceptions in the specialist squads (my Vanguard had such great options for heads) and a classic gold and blue colour scheme, my army looks more inspiring than any I had painted before. My army is lead by Captain Aetheleous: Formly of the 5th Company; wielding a plasma pistol and Relic Blade, an ancient power sword of unknown providence. Atheleous is known for being a no-nonsense and fairly humorousless commander among those under his command, though this is perhaps somewhat unfair. Those who get to know him, reserved for only a select individuals, could pick out wry comments many would miss or even assume were serious, such is the subtlety of the expression of his mirth. As befits a Captain of such character, I usually grant Atheleous the Adept of the Codex Warlord trait to simulate his commanding presence. However, I have toyed with the idea of Storm of Fire since it makes sense he would organise a firing line expertly. What do people think of that? I also give him the Sanctic Halo. It's absurdly good and means he's very survivable no matter the modifier he's up against. In fact, against anything with a modifier he's almost as survivable as a Cataphractii Captain (minus the wound). Tactically he rolls up the table in a Rhino along with solid line infantry - either Sternguard or Tactical Marines. Usually the Sternguard. He hits a particular part of the enemy line calculated to rip a hole that can't be easily filled. The way I do this is utilise Vanguard and Cataphractii Terminators (along with another Captain) to provide severe pressure on the opponent so they completely lose the initiative. Taking on the Sternguard isn't always easy in this circumstance.